Several Republican Senators intend to vote against the filibuster, but then vote against the overall bill. This is too clever by half. The GOP does not control the Senate as the GOP is want to say every time they don’t want to fight.

Their only power to block a gun control bill is to unite and filibuster.

Voting for cloture is voting for the gun control bill because, again, as the GOP reminds us, they are not in the majority. The only way to stop it is to filibuster.

Erickson's take is a tad over-dramatic — gun control will be difficult to pass, even in an up-down vote.

But if Democrats succeed at overcoming the filibuster, the Senate will begin the most wide-ranging debate over gun control in decades.

The proposed legislation would expand the system of background checks for gun purchases, make gun trafficking a federal crime, and provide additional funding for school security. Senators from both parties would also be allowed to introduce related amendments, including federal funding for veteran mental health programs and a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.